Marines Deploy First F-35B Squadron To Japan

A Marine Corps fighter squadron has deployed for Japan equipped with the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, marking the first overseas stationing of the aircraft since the service declared it fit for combat last year.

Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, an F-35B squadron with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, on Jan. 9 deployed from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., and headed for Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, the first location to receive the jets outside the continental United States.

The 3^rd Marine Aircraft Wing became the first operational F-35 squadron when the service declared initial operational capability (IOC) in July 2015 following a five-day operational readiness inspection (ORI). The squadron previously flew F/A-18 Hornets but was redesignated an F-35 unit in November 2012. Since IOC, the squadron has continued to fly sorties and employ ordnance as part of their normal training cycle.

NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN – An F-35B from Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 121, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, refuels in flight while transiting the Pacific from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, Jan. 9, 2017, with its final destination of Iwakuni, Japan.

The Marine Corps F-35B short-takeoff, vertical landing (STOVL) variant is designed to replace the F/A-18 Hornet, AV-8B Harrier jump jet and the EA-6B Prowler electronic warfare aircraft.

In December 2015, VMFA-121 employed its F-35Bs in support of Exercise Steel Knight, a combined-arms live-fire exercise which integrates capabilities of air and ground combat elements to complete a wide range of military operations in an austere environment to prepare the 1st Marine Division for deployment as the ground combat element of a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF). The F-35B preformed exceedingly well during the exercise, according to the Marine Corps.

In October 2016, a contingent of Marine Corps F-35B’s, pilots and maintainers participated in Developmental Test III and Lightning Carrier proof of concept demonstrations aboard the USS America amphibious assault ship (LHA-6).

That final test period ensured the plane could operate in the most extreme at-sea conditions, with a range of weapons loadouts and with the newest software variant. Data collected during those tests laid the groundwork for developing the concepts of operations for F-35B deployments aboard Navy amphibious carriers, the first two of which will take place in 2018.

“The transition of VMFA-121 from MCAS Yuma to MCAS Iwakuni marks a significant milestone in the F-35B program as the Marine Corps continues to lead the way in the advancement of stealth fighter attack aircraft,” a Marine Corps spokesperson said.